Chilling in Toowoomba 2024

Fourteen competitors entered the blindfolded arena at Wilsonton State High School, but Charlie Eggins commanded the floor with extraordinary precision. Blindfolded solving demands intense memorisation and flawless spatial awareness, where a single miscalculation unravels an entire attempt. Over two rounds of high-focus action, Eggins secured victory in the 3x3x3 Blindfolded event with a 14.76 winning average and an event-best single of 13.73. Conan Mo took the second podium spot with a time of 1:13.67, while David McLean earned third place in 1:33.01.

Held across August 24 and 25, Chilling in Toowoomba 2024 brought together 90 competitors across 8 events and 17 rounds of competition in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The busy cubing competition schedule tested versatile solvers across a range of classic and modern disciplines. Speedcubing enthusiasts travelled to the Darling Downs venue to contest traditional twisty puzzles as well as non-standard events, with podium places contested right through Sunday afternoon.

The premier 3x3x3 Cube contest gathered a massive field of 89 competitors across three rounds of Rubik's Cube action. Toby Seufert captured the title with a tournament-winning average of 7.76 and a best single of 6.76. Charlie Eggins finished in second place with a 7.91 average, while Tommas Austin-Milne took third place with an 8.66 average. These standout 3x3 results underscored the sharp level of competition at the top of the standings throughout the weekend.

Eggins carried his winning form across multiple disciplines, claiming two further titles during the weekend. In the 4x4x4 Cube event, Eggins claimed top honors with an average of 34.11 and a fastest single of 32.42, finishing just ahead of Toby Seufert who took second in 34.34, followed by Tommas Austin-Milne in 38.23. Eggins also secured the 3x3x3 One-Handed crown with a 12.06 average, where Benjamin Warry took second place with a 14.71 average and Seufert finished third with 15.76.

Benjamin Warry enjoyed a stellar weekend of his own, collecting two major victories. Warry dominated the Pyraminx competition among 70 entrants, delivering a 2.99 winning average and a 2.57 single to finish ahead of Matthew Ban of Malaysia with 3.67 and Moses Limmer of New Zealand with 3.94. Warry added another title in Square-1, winning with an impressive 6.72 average over Eggins in second at 13.65 and Lachlan Adams-Romyn in third at 14.24.

Beyond the podium finishes, the tournament featured remarkable breakthroughs from competitors across the field. Andrew Reeves entered 4 events and notched a Pyraminx personal best of 5.71, cutting his previous mark by 57.5 percent, while also recording his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube in 2:05.49 and his first 2x2x2 Cube attempt in 8.04. Joseph Hodgetts achieved a 62.1 percent personal best improvement in the 3x3x3 Cube with 21.24, improved his 2x2x2 Cube best by 56.4 percent to 6.71, and made his first ever attempt at 4x4x4 Cube with 1:57.89. Alexander Tronoff achieved his best finish of 11th in Pyraminx behind a personal best of 2.51, which was 61.3 percent faster than his prior record, alongside personal bests in Clock at 10.17 and 2x2x2 Cube at 3.31. Walter Jackwitz delivered a 57.1 percent drop in his 2x2x2 Cube mark down to 4.69, while improving his Pyraminx time to 9.56 and 3x3x3 Cube to 26.16.

The personal milestones continued as Vivaan Ambika Kambam tackled 5 events, shaving 53.9 percent off his Pyraminx personal best to reach 3.82, dropping his 3x3x3 Cube best to 16.53, and logging his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 48.62. Thomas Chancellor embraced 7 events at the competition, recording his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 1:13.12, his first Clock attempt in 12.09, and his first Square-1 attempt in 29.53. Henry Pascoe posted his first ever attempts in 3x3x3 One-Handed at 1:13.72 and Clock at 21.11, while improving his 2x2x2 Cube best to 7.19. Thomas Strenzel recorded his first ever attempt at Clock in 25.41 while taking 35.6 percent off his 4x4x4 Cube personal best to hit 1:15.23 and improving his 2x2x2 Cube mark to 5.91.

Lachlan Adams-Romyn produced standout performances in the remaining events of the weekend. Adams-Romyn won the 2x2x2 Cube event with a 1.75 average, edging out Toby Seufert at 2.43 and Charlie Eggins at 2.44. In the Clock event, Adams-Romyn claimed first place with a 3.07 average, finishing clear of Joseph Burnett in second with 4.29 and Conan Mo in third with 5.71.

The 2024 speed cubing gathering concluded with Australia capturing 22 podium spots, alongside international podium finishes from Malaysia and New Zealand. As another memorable WCA competition wrapped up at Wilsonton State High School, the community celebrated two full days of intense problem solving, versatile multi-event talent, and memorable personal milestones.